Freezing tray



June 9, 1942. H. D. GEYER ETAL FREEZING TRAY Filed May l2, 1938 4Sheets-Sheet l mvEN-rons WSAv/fpsa/v mfr ATTORNEY f77/CK III ll||||||HHl'I Illl.

June 9, 1942. H, D, GEYER ET AL 2,285,712 l FREE Z ING TRAY Filed May12, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 @.MWN N m www w NHHVW N R Mv\ In EfMaMMO k mawn lavMKlmA T gauw# June 9, 1942.v H. D. GEYER'ET A1.

FREEZING TRAY 4 Sheets-Sheefc 3 Filed May l2, 1938 I Hqkvfy Gern?HEUER/cfr W'NPa/f fr ATTORNEYS June 9 yi942 H. D. GEYER x-:T A1.

FREEZ ING TRAY Filed May l2, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 9,194.2

2,285,712 FBEEZING TRAY i Harvey D. Geyer and Frederick W. Sampson,

Dayton, hio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich.,-acorporation of Dela- Ware Application May. 12, 193s, serial No. 201,437

(o1. cs2-108.5)

14` claims.

This invention relates to freezing trays, especially to portablefreezing trays adapted for use in household refrigerators.

AAn object of this invention "is to provide an improved form ofmechanically operated' tray from which the frozen ice blocks may bereadily removed without melting the ice loose from the pan or grid.

One feature of this invention is the actuating hand lever arrangementwhereby the hand lever is pivotally mounted upon\the grid adjacent thelongitudinal center thereof and serves to mutually react upon opposedmovable portions of said grid to release the ice cubes therefrom.

' Another feature of the invention yis the two longitudinally-extendingactuating members which are forced in opposite directions toprogressively move the movable" cross walls of the grid toward oppositeends of the grid.

Another feature of the invention is the simplified arrangement whereby alongitudinally movable actuating member cams upon the lip of the pan tofirst force the pan from the ice and grid contents. and thereafterserves to move the partition members relative to each other to loosenthe ice blocks from the grid.

Another feature of the invention is the simple and eicientforce-multiplying mechanism for moving the two longitudinal actuatingmembers in opposite directions.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention isclearly shown.

In the drawings: Figs. 1 to 6 'show one form of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the complete ice tray with the parts infreezing position.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 illustrates how the pan may be broken loose from its frozen bondto its stationary supporting shelf.

Fig. 5 shows the actuation of the hand lever in successively moving onegroup of cross walls toward the left end of the grid (as viewed in Fig.5) after the grid is removed from the pan.

Fig. 6 illustrates the maximum movement of the hand lever, and shows allcross walls moved to their ice-ejectingpositions. A

Figs. 7 to 10 show a second form of the in vention.

Fig. I? shows all the parts in freezing position.

Fig. is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7. f

Fig. 9 illustrates the maximum movement of the hand lever to eject allthe ice cubes after the grid is removed from the pan.

Fig. 10 is a section on line III- I0 of Fig. 8 and shows the maximummovement of the hand lever.

.Figs 1l to' 16 show a third form ofy the invention.

Fig l1 shows all the parts in freezing position.-

Fig. 12 illlustrates the maximum movement of the hand lever to eject allthe ice cubes after the grid is removed from the pan.

- Fig. 13 is a section on line I3-I3 of Fig. 14..

Fig. 14 is a section on line III- I4 of Fig. l1.

Fig. 15 is a section online I5I5 of Fig. l1.

Fig. 16 is a section on line III-I6 of Fig. 11.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts through the severalviews.

In the form of Figs. 1 to 6, numeral I0 designates the metal containerpan which is preferably a one-piece 'sheet aluminum stamping which isslightly iiexible or distortable to permit it to be more easily loosenedfrom its frozen contents as hereafter described. Pan I0 is shown with anintegral depending front flange I I against which the pan lifter I2pries to force the pan loose from its frozen bond to its supportingshelf, as shown in Fig. 4.

The removable grid comprises a main center wall I 6 and a series ofcross walls II loosely carried by the main wall and cooperatingtherewith to form two rows of ice block compartments. Main wall I 6 hasa series of notches I8 cut therein thru which the continuous upperportion of cross walls I I extend. The cross walls I1 each has a slotextending up from its bottom edge so that said cross walls II will tloosely within notches I8 and may be either tilted or moved bodily thruthe longitudinal width of the notches I8 (see Fig. 6).

Two actuating channel bars I9 and 20 overlie the main wall I6 and areslidably mounted thereupon by the cross pins 2| which slide in oppositedirections in the slots 22 in said main wall \I\6. The two bars I9 and20 are both pivoted to the hand lever 25 near the center of the grid insuch manner as to be forced longitudinally in opposite directions by theactuation of lever 25. In order to provide a simple pivot connectionbetween bars I9 and 20 and lever 25, the bar I9 is made slightly widerthan bar 20 to permit overlapping center portions, and the side flanges26 of lever 25 lie on theoutside of the overlapping portions of bars I9and 29 (see Fig. 3). Now the bar I 9 is pivoted directly to the leverflanges 29 by cross pin 39, and bar 29 is similarly pivoted directly toflanges 29 by cross pin 3l. The relative positionsy of these pins 30 end3l when the parts are in freezing position are shown in Fig. 2. It willbe noted that bar 29 is cut away tending thru the main wall I6 (see Fig.3). Thus the path of movement of `pin 3| is a small arc with pin 32 as acenter. Main wall I9 has an open notch 36' cut therein in order toprovide proper clearance for the'arcuate movement of pin 9| as it swingsfrom its position in Fig. 2 to its position in Fig. 6. Now it will beclear that-when lever 25 is raised from its position in Fig. 2, pin 30will be forced to travel slight ly upward and toward the left and pin 3|will be forced to travel slightly upward and toward the right (as seenin Figs. 2, 5, and 6). Since pins 39 and 3| are pivoted to the innerends of bars I9 and 20 respectively, the two bars I9 and 20 are forcedto travel slightly upwardly at the center of the grid and outwardly inopposite directions toward the two ends of the grid by operation oflever 25. This is the action desired..

The rst endwise movement of bars I9 and 20 will cause their inclined camsurfaces 40 and 4I to engage the end lips of the pan I9 and so force theends of pan I outwardly and downwardly, thereby slightly flexing the panI9 and causingit to be loosened from the grid and ice contents. Uponfurther outward movement of the channel .bars I9 and 20, the notches 42,43r 44, and 45 in the side flanges thereof will suiccessively` engagethe cross walls I1 and successively force these cross wallsvlongitudinally in their notches I8 in the main wall I5, and thereby freethe ice blocks from vtheir frozen bond. to both the main wall I9 and thecross walls I1. Preferably the pan I0 is first separated from the gridand ice contents before the endmost notches 42 force the endmost crosswalls I1 outwardly, this in order to make the action more progressiveand so reduce the maximum force required to be applied to the lever 25.However if desired, cams 49 and 4I may be omitted, in which case theendmost cross walls I1 will force the endmost ice blocks outwardlyagainst the inclined ends of pan III with sufllcient force to loosen theentire pan I9 from the entire grid and ice contents. As each cross wallI1 releases the ice block in front of it, such cross wall I1 will thenbe free to move bodily forward a short distance in its notch I8 and thuswill not hamper the releasing movement of the 4next succeeding iceblock. Fig. 5 shows all of the cross walls I1 on the left side of handle25 released before any of the cross walls on the' right side have beenreleased. This may or may not occur and depends only upon which iceblock is bonded most tightly in place. That is to say, the force urgingbar I9 to the left is substantially equal to the force urging bar 29 tothe right at all times during the releasing single force are equal andopposite. This means that if the ice block at one end of the grid is`frozen less hard or is more easily released than at the other end, themost easily released ice block will bethe first to go. After all the iceblocks at one end are released, pin '2l is stopped v by reaching the endof its slot 22l and thereafter a convenient balanced handle for handlingthe grid.

The pan lifter I2, referred to above, comprises a small stamped metalhandle having a foot I3 which underlies flange II of pan III (see Figs.2 and 4). This handle I2 is flexibly -attached to bar I9 by means of aexible rubber strap I4 which is xed to bar I9 and handle I2 by vanysuitable means.- In the form shown the rubber strap I4 fits snuglywithin the pocket-like foot I3 and is retained therein by two bent overears I5 which are integral with the stamped metal handle. When the gridand pan are in freezing position the pan lifter I2 is in the positionshown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows how the lifter handle may be pulledforward to cause the foot I3 to .pry upward against the depending iiangeII of pan III and thus force pan I9 free from its frozen\bond to itssupporting shelf. This pan 4lifter may be omitted from the grid ifdesired,

since it has no function in removing the ice from the pan or grid.

Figs. 7 to l0 show a slightly modified form of the invention whoseoperation is substantially as above described,l the main differencebeing in the connections betweenlever 25, ,actuating bars I9' and 20',and the main center' wall I5. In this form the short links 35 aredispensed with and the cross pin 3| (which moves bar 20') passes looselythru a horizontal slot.5ll in main wall I5'. The upper edge of main wallI9' is 'cut away at notch 5I to provide clearance for cross pin 30'which moves bar I9' longitudinally. Fig. 'l shows all the parts infreezing position. The first pivotal movement of lever 25 will causecross pin 39' to move in an arc about pin II' as a center. This willraise the inner end of bar I9' slightly and urge actuating bar I9' tothe leftas seen in Figs. 'I and 9 'and 'successively release the iceblocks as above described. As soon as the longitudinal movement of barI9 is stopped, either by its pin 2|' reaching the end of its slot 22' orby the resistance of the ice blocks against cross walls I1, th'e crosspin 3I will be forced to the right (as viewed in Figs. 7 and 9) thru theslot 50. This will force the actuating bar 29 to the right and therebysuccessively tilt the cross walls I1 to the right and successivelyrelease the ice blocks as above described. It will be Anoted that inthis form,

l slightly it will cause shoulders 52 to successiveoperation, thisbecause action and reaction of a ly engage cross walls I1 from theendmost wall I1 back toward the enter of the grid, even tho all thenotches forming the shoulders 62 be of the same dimensions. In otherwords, this is a very simple and inexpensive way of providing in effectprogressively wider notches from the outer end of bar I9 to the innerend thereof.

Figs. 1l' to 16 show a third form of the invention which differs fromthe other forms mainly in the connecting mechanism between lever 60,actuating bars 6| and 62, and main center Wall 63. In this form the twooppositely-movable actuating channel bars 6| and 62 are each slidablymounted upon main wall 63 by means of two cross pins and slots therefor.These cross pins 64 and 66 slide horizontally in slots 65 and 61respectively in the main wall 63 and so 10ermit only a horizontalsliding motion of bars 6I and '62. Main wall 63 has a circular hole 10therein which forms a bearing for the small crank disc 1|. Crank disc 1|has two crank pins 12 and 13 extending therethru and riveted to the twoside anges of lever 60 (see Fig. 14).

.Thus disk 1| forrnsa pivotal bearing for lever l lend of said gridtofacilitate the removal of the 60 on the main wall 63. The actuating bars6I l' and 62 are connected to the two crank pins 12 and 13 by means oftwo small links 14 and 15 respective which lie on opposite sides of mainwall 63. Link 14 is connected at its outer end to the guide pin 64 forbar 6I (see Fig. 15), and link 15 is similarly connected to guide pin 64for bar 62. Preferably small spacer washers 68 are provided at the outerguide pins 66.

It will now be clear that .when lever 60-is rotated upwardly from itsfreezing position of Fig.

11, the crank pins 12 and 13 will be rotated to their positions shown inFig. 12, and the connecting links 14 and 15 will force the two guidepins 64 outwardly toward the opposite ends of the grid. Since these twoguide pins 64 are fixed to bars 6| and '62 respectively, these actuatingbars 6| and 62 will be correspondingly forced outwardly toward theopposite ends of the grid. This movement of bars 6| and 62 maysuccessively engage and move the cross walls I1 by means of the notches80 therein in the manner described above. Preferably said notches 80 aremade of progressively greater width from the endmost notches toward thecenter, however this,V is not necessary to provide an operative device.

In any case the endmost cross walls I1 are the rst to be moved forwardsufficiently to release the ice blocks. In this form of the inventionthe outer ends of bars 6| and 62 have curved cam surfaces I85 whichengage the end lips of pan I0 and separate pan I0 from its grid and icecontents during the initial longitudinal movement of bars 6| and 62.This is an optional feature and may be omitted if desired. .Y

While the embodiment of thelpresentinvention as herein disclosed,constitutes a preferred/ form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims whichfollow.

What ls claimed is as follows:

1. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and a partitioning grid withinsaid pan, said grid comprising: a longitudinal partitioning wall, aseries of cross walls extending from side to side of said grid andcooperating with said longitudinal wall to form ice block compartments,saidcross walls being movable relative to said longitudinal Wall, andforce-multiplying means for moving some of. said cross walls from theirfreezing position toward one end and some of said cross walls frozen iceblocks from said grid.

2. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and a partitioning grid withinsaid pan, said grid comprising: a longitudinal partitioning wall. aseries of cross walls extending from side to side of said grid andlcooperating with said'longitudinal wall to form ice block compartments,said cross walls being bodily longitudinally movable relative to saidlongitudinal wall, two longitudinally movable actuating members eachmechanically associated with a group of said cross walls so as to movethe cross walls of its group longitudinally therewith, andforce-multiplying means for moving said two actuating memberslongitudinally in opposite directions.

3. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and a partitioning grid withinsaid pan, said grid comprising: a longitudinal partitioning wall, av

series4 of cross walls extending from side to side of said grid andcooperating with said longitudinal wall to form ice block compartments,said cross walls being bodily longitudinally movable relative to saidlongitudinal wall, two longitudinally movable actuating members eachmechanically associated with a group of said cross walls so as to movethe cross Walls of its group longitudinally therewith, and a single handlever serving to mutually react upon both vof said two actuating membersto move said" two members longitudinally in opposite directions. y

4. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and a partitioning gridwithinsaid pan, said grid comprising: a longitudinal -partitioning wall,a series of cross walls cooperating with said longitudinal wall to formice block compartments, said cross walls being bodily longitudinallymovable relative to said longitudinal wall, two longitudinally movabeactuating members each mechanically associated with a group of saidcross walls so as to move the cross walls of its group longitudinallytherewith, and a hand lever pivotally mounted upon said grid adjacentthe longitudinal center of said grid and serving to force said twoactuating members in opposite directions whereby to move said crosswalls longitudinally relative to said longitudinal wall.

5. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and a partitioning grid fordividing the frozen contents into a plurality of ice blocks. said gridcomprising: a series of relatively movable cross walls extending fromside to side of said grid and each bodily tiltable out of its normalfreezing-position plane, and force-multiplying means for bodily tiltingsome of said4 cross walls out of their freezing position toward one endof said grid and for bodily tilting some of ysaid cross walls out oftheir freezing position toward the opposite end of said grid, tofacilitate the removal of the frozen ice blocks.

6. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and partitioning grid fordividing the frozen contents, into a plurality of ice blocks, said gridcomprising: a series of relatively movable cross walls lextending fromside to side of said grid and each bodily tiltable out of its normalfreezing-position plane, two oppositely movable actuating members eachmechanically associated' with a group of said cross walls so as tobodily tilt the cross walls of its group, and force-multiplying meansfor moving said two actuating members in opposite directions.

7. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and a partitioning grid fordividing the frozen confrom their freezing position toward the oppositetents into a plurality of ice blocks, said grid comprising: a series ofrelatively movable cross walls extending from side to side of said gridand each tiltable out ofits normal freezing-position plane, and a handlever and mechanism actuated thereby arranged to bodily tilt some ofsaid cross walls from their freezing position toward one end of saidgrid and to bodily tilt some of said cross walls from their freezingposition toward the other end of said grid, whereby to facilitate theremoval of the frozen ice blocks.

8. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and a partitioning grid fordividing the frozen contents .into a plurality of ice lblocks, said gridcomprising: a `series of relatively movable cross walls extending fromside to side of said grid and each bodily tiltable out of its normalfreezing-position plane,A and force-multiplying means actuatable tobodily tilt approximately half of said cross walls from their freezingposition toward one end of said grid and the other half of said crosswalls from their freezing position toward the opposite end of said grid.y

9.`In a freezing tray, a container pan having outwardly flexibleopposite end walls, a grid within said pan having a plurality ofpartition `\`.walls, two longitudinally movable actuating membersmounted on said grid and having portions which press downwardly andoutwardly upon said opposite end walls of said pan when` said membersmove longitudinally relative to said pan, and force-multiplying meansfor. moving said two members longitudinally to cause same to pressdownwardly upon and outwardly ex said opposite end walls of said panwhereby to free said pan from its frozen contents.

10. In a freezing tray, a container pan, a grid within said pan having aplurality of partition walls, two longitudinally movable actuatingmembers mounted on said grid and having portions which press downwardlyupon opposite ends of said pan when said members move longitudinallyrelative to said pan, and force-multiplying means for moving said twomembers longitudinally to cause same to press downwardly upon oppositeends of said pan whereby to free said pan from its frozen contents, saidactuating members lbeing also actuatable to move some of the walls ofsaid grid relative to another. wall thereof.

1l. In a freezing tray, a container pan, a grid within said pan havingaplurality of partition walls, two longitudinally movable actuatingmembers mounted on said grid and having portions which press downwardlyupon opposite ends of said pan when said members move longitudinallyrelative to said pan, and a hand lever mutually reacting upon said twoactuating members for moving said two actuating members longitudinallyin opposite directions.

12. In a freezing tray, a container pan, and a partitioning grid forsaid pan, said grid comprising: a longitudinal main wah, a series oflongitudinally spaced cross walls each movable longitudinally relativeto said main wall, and forcemultiplying means for successively movingthe individual walls of one group of said cross walls toward one end ofsaid grid and for successively moving the individual walls of anothergroup of said cross walls toward the other end of said grid. I

13. In a freezing tray, a container pan: a partitioning grid within saidpan having a plurality of relatively movable partition walls so arrangedas to provide ice block compartments for the contents of said pan, andmeans for forcing two groups of said partition walls to move from theirnormal freezing position toward opposite ends of said grid to facilitatethe removal of the frozen ice blocks from said grid, said meanscomprising a force-multiplying upwardly swingable hand 1ever pivotallymounted upon the grid at the longitudinal central portion thereof.

14. lIn a freezing tray, a container pan; a partitioning grid withinsaid pan having a plurality of relatively movable partition walls soarranged as to provide ice block compartments for the contents of saidpan, and means for forcing some of said partition walls to tilt towardone end of said grid and some of said partition walls to tilt toward theother end of said grid to facilitate the removal of the frozen iceblocks from said grid, said means comprising a force-multiplyingmechanism having a hand-lever permanently pivotally mounted upon saidgrid adjacent the central portion thereof.

HARVEY D. GEYER. FREDERICK W. SAMPSQN.

